When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 44 Grandfather and Grandson

Gao Qu subconsciously shifted his feet, seemingly wanting to get away from the corpses and Zhao Heng, who was "performing".

King Zhao and the elder member of the royal family both watched with solemn expressions.

The old man's eyes were focused. As Zhao Heng narrated and gestured, his gray eyebrows twitched slightly, clearly indicating that he was quickly deducing in his mind the connection between those movements and the shape of the wound.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, though the gesture was very small, but his expression clearly showed that he agreed with Zhao Heng's deduction based on common sense.

After gesturing, Zhao Heng's expression remained unchanged. He continued, "If the difference in angles mentioned above can be attributed to the accidental trembling of the arm and the turmoil of the mind when committing suicide, then the second point of doubt is even more difficult to explain by chance."

He walked back to the body and pointed to the wounds again.

"A strong adult man, or a well-trained person, grips the sword with heavy force and swings it swiftly. A young man, on the other hand, has a relatively slender neck and his muscles and bones are not yet strong."

"If the throat is slit by external force, the person applying the force often aims to kill the person with one blow, and the blow is ruthless. The wound is usually very deep and may even injure the cervical spine. Moreover, because it is a one-way forceful pull and cut, the wound often presents as a 'wedge' shape with one end being very deep and the other end being shallower, or a 'tail' shape formed due to insufficient retraction."

He took two steps forward, pointed to one of the wounds, and gestured for everyone to take a closer look.

"If it is a suicide by slashing with a sword, the situation is different. The person committing suicide pushes and pulls the blade with both hands or one hand, and the process of exerting force involves a process of starting, increasing force, and ending the force. Moreover, when a person commits suicide, even if they have made up their mind, the body's instinctive fear and muscle contraction are difficult to completely avoid. Therefore, the wound caused by suicide is often shallower at both ends and deepest in the middle, in the shape of a 'fusiform,' or an 'arc-shaped' wound caused by the arc-shaped movement of the arm."

The expressions on the faces of the people in the hall varied.

The elderly member of the imperial clan stopped stroking his beard, his eyes sharp, as if recalling war wounds or criminal cases he had witnessed in his life, which corroborated Zhao Heng's words.

King Zhao, his eyes deep and penetrating, scrutinized his grandson, who was speaking eloquently below the steps. His gaze held a stronger element of inquiry than anger, as if he were pondering where Zhao Heng had learned these things.

Zhao Heng ignored the reactions of the crowd and simply pointed to the corpses one by one, following his own rhythm:

"Sun Chen carefully examined the four wounds. Except for the fourth wound, which was relatively uniform and slightly curved, resembling the shape of a suicide, the other three wounds were generally deep at one end and shallow at the other, typical of a violent unidirectional cut."

Upon hearing this, the elder member of the royal family suddenly became serious, leaning forward even more, as if he had an urge to get up immediately and personally examine the body.

But Zhao Heng had already straightened up and was facing King Zhao again, as if he was about to give a concluding speech. The old man forcibly restrained himself, but his gaze remained fixed on the wounds, his brows furrowed.

"Of the four wounds, three were clearly caused by external force, and one is questionable."

Zhao Heng was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "If all four committed suicide, why are the wounds so different? If three of them were actually killed, and only the last one either committed suicide or was hastily imitated... then what exactly is this so-called 'suicide to show one's resolve'?"

As Zhao Heng analyzed the situation, the King of Zhao's gaze grew increasingly sharp.

Zhao Heng stopped looking at anyone. He took two steps back, and a few paces from the corpse, he once again bowed deeply in reverence.

"Based on this objective examination, Sun Chen dares to assert that there must be something fishy about the so-called 'suicide' of these four people! Their deaths were most likely not voluntary, but rather they were silenced by someone!"

Sun Chen still insisted that if his words and actions had indeed been inappropriate, angering the people, or even causing some to regard him as an enemy and seek his annihilation, he would admit it! The fault lay with him, and he would accept any punishment from his grandfather and the laws of the state without the slightest complaint!

Zhao Heng suddenly raised his head as he finished speaking.

In the candlelight, everyone could clearly see that the young man's eyes, which had been calmly analyzing the situation just moments before, were now completely red.

"But what I shouldn't have done, what I shouldn't have done... just because some people wanted Sun Chen dead, or wanted to use this to frame Sun Chen, I had to sacrifice the lives of these four innocent boys. And now, in my city of Handan, there will be four more broken families, four more parents grieving the loss of their beloved children!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated and simply touched his forehead to the ground, bowing deeply.

"Not for the evil deeds of this official who framed Sun Chen, but for the four young men of Zhao who died unjustly, and for the four suffering families who may never know the truth! Sun Chenheng, I am willing to give everything I have to beg you, my lord—"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and spat out the last word, one by one, through gritted teeth:

"Investigate this matter thoroughly! Find the real culprit, bring justice to the deceased, and ensure that the blood of loyalty and righteousness is not stained by the hands of conspiracy!"

For a moment, there was complete silence on both sides.

Zhao Yan suddenly clenched his sleeve, his mind racing with thoughts, and countless excuses, justifications, and ways to divert attention rushed to his throat.

No, we have to say something immediately! We absolutely cannot let the old man follow this kid's train of thought!

He moved as if to rise from his seat and speak before the King of Zhao could express his opinion.

But before he could get up, he suddenly felt as if the King of Zhao had glanced at him.

Zhao Yan froze abruptly, as if the blood in his body had flowed back to his heart in that instant, and then pumped to his limbs in the next moment, stirring up a chilling shiver.

He dared not confirm whether that glance was real, nor dared he delve into the meaning in that gaze. He only felt a chill run down from the top of his head, instantly spreading to his limbs and bones. His legs went weak, and the words he had prepared in his mind were completely forgotten in an instant.

His immediate instinct was to stand up and loudly proclaim that he knew absolutely nothing about it and that it was all due to the incompetence of his subordinates...

But the King of Zhao did not give him that opportunity.

"Gaoqu".

Gao Qu shuddered and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing even deeper: "Your servant is here."

"Summon the palace coroner. He will examine the body again."

Gao Qu dared not hesitate for a moment, nor even raise his head: "Yes!"

He bowed and quickly retreated from the hall, disappearing into the outer room in no time.

King Zhao's gaze then fell back on Zhao Heng, who was still lying on the ground.

"You may get up now."

Zhao Heng responded politely, his voice muffled as it came from the ground: "Thank you for your grace, Father."

However, after saying thank you, he remained lying there, motionless.

Upon seeing this, King Zhao frowned slightly.

"Your grandfather wants you to get up." His voice rose slightly.

Zhao Heng slowly straightened up, but still kept his head down, looking at the ground in front of him, as if there was something there that attracted him greatly, or perhaps he dared not look up at his grandfather on the throne.

King Zhao frowned even more deeply, and his tone became more serious: "Come closer and speak with your head held high."

Zhao Heng then got up as instructed, took a few steps forward, and stood at an appropriate distance below the imperial steps, but still did not look up.

Upon seeing this, the elderly member of the royal family, who had been deep in thought, couldn't help but show a strange expression on his face.

Zhao Yan had also recovered slightly from the shock. Seeing Zhao Heng's appearance, he sneered inwardly, thinking that this kid was just young and didn't know his place. He was just taking advantage of his earlier argument and dared to act out in front of the old man.

They're really courting death. Do they really think they can act recklessly against a cunning and shrewd monarch with just a little bit of cleverness?

Sure enough, King Zhao's tone finally carried a hint of impatience: "I told you to raise your head when you speak."

This time, Zhao Heng seemed to finally dare not disobey.

However, when his face was fully raised and exposed to the dim candlelight in the hall, everyone in the hall was only taken aback.

The boy's eyes were red-rimmed, brimming with tears that shimmered in the candlelight. His cheeks were still streaked with wet tears, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he were desperately trying to suppress something.

He seemed terrified of being seen in this disheveled and vulnerable state by his grandfather on the throne, and hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe his face haphazardly. But the tears seemed uncontrollable, increasing with each wipe, rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto his clothes, leaving dark stains.

Zhao Heng frantically wiped away his tears while trying to force a smile at King Zhao to indicate that he was alright. But the smile was strained and stiff, even more unsightly than crying.

"Father..." His voice was nasal and choked with emotion, "...Sun Chen lost his composure."

King Zhao looked at his grandson below the steps, who was trying to hold back his tears. His dignified face twitched almost imperceptibly.

He frowned, but a complex emotion flashed deep in his eyes.

Li Lingcheng's eyelids twitched slightly.

His hand had already unconsciously reached into his robes and touched a plain handkerchief. But when he glanced at King Zhao and saw that the king made no move, he quietly lowered his hand and resumed his standing posture with his hands at his sides.

King Zhao's voice softened slightly, but remained stern: "What are you, a man of noble birth, crying for? What kind of behavior is this? Have you not heard the saying, 'A man does not easily shed tears'?"

Zhao Yan watched from the side, feeling even more bewildered and somewhat absurd.

Having lived in Handan for over twenty years, he knew the King of Zhao's temperament well; the King despised weakness and weeping, viewing it as a sign of incompetence. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what injustices he had suffered, he had never shed a tear in front of the old man. That would only invite deeper disgust and contempt.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng burst into tears.

He wiped his eyes vigorously with his sleeve, sobbing and speaking in broken sentences.

"Sun Chen...Sun Chen is just scared..."

"After falling into the water last time, I woke up after being unconscious for three days. I overheard the servants in the manor talking privately, saying that someone was determined to kill me. At first, I didn't believe it, thinking they were just being paranoid and worrying unnecessarily... But today, in the palace, I saw these four corpses with my own eyes and heard their so-called 'last words' before they died... I... had no choice but to believe it."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingcheng's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously glanced cautiously at the King of Zhao.

Zhao Heng, oblivious to the situation, simply raised his tearful eyes and looked at the King of Zhao behind the imperial desk, his voice trembling violently.

"Father, I'm afraid... I'm really afraid that if I can't go home today, my mother will be all alone in the manor."

His tears fell in a stream, and his voice choked with emotion, unable to speak.

"My mother is gentle and frail, and she doesn't even dare to raise her voice... If she were to learn about Sun Chen... she would cry day and night, which would harm her health... Her health was already poor, and my father isn't around either..."

He wiped his face hard, trying to stop the tears, but to no avail.

"Father... Sun Chen knows he was wrong... Sun Chen shouldn't have been willful, shouldn't have disobeyed Mother..."

"My mother had warned Sun Chen long ago that... Father is a hostage in Qin, and our family has no pillar of support. We are an orphan and a widow. In this city of Handan, we should be cautious and humble... If we are bullied outside, no one will protect us..."

At this, the expressions of the people in the hall changed, and Zhao Yan held his breath and concentrated, as if he realized that the situation today was spiraling out of his control in an unpredictable way.

The King of Zhao's face grew increasingly grim.

"I only ask one thing of you, my lord..."

At this point, Zhao Heng was already sobbing uncontrollably, his words almost incoherent, and he simply knelt down again:

"If I have truly committed a crime today, I will accept whatever punishment you may give me, Father... I only beg you, Father, not to tell Mother what happened today... Do not let her know that I did this because of this... I fear she cannot bear it, I fear she..."

The rest of his words were swallowed by sobs.

Zhao Heng simply knelt there, head bowed, his shoulders trembling slightly from sobbing, tears falling one by one onto the bricks in front of him, leaving dark dots.

Upon hearing this, Li Lingcheng couldn't help but sigh.

Regardless of what the coroner's autopsy results will be, even if Zhao Heng is talking nonsense, even if someone can tamper with things and cover up certain traces in a short time, today, King Zhao can no longer severely punish Prince Heng.

Without consulting King Zhao, he quickly took out the plain handkerchief from his bosom, walked briskly to Zhao Heng's side, bent down slightly, and gently handed the handkerchief to Zhao Heng.

"Young master, please have some."

King Zhao, looking at his grandson who was weeping bitterly below the steps and listening to his words, had already closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the muscles in his face twitched violently and uncontrollably. His hands, resting on the table, were clenched tightly, veins bulging.

The Qin state demanded the legitimate son...

Would he be willing to give it? How could he possibly be willing to give it!

However, given the weight of the nation's fate and the peril of diplomatic relations... how could he refuse? How could he possibly refuse?!

Zhao Yan, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Zhao Heng, who was lying on the ground weeping, at the King of Zhao with his eyes closed and his body trembling slightly, and at Li Lingcheng kneeling beside Zhao Heng and gently comforting him... His mind went completely blank.

He never expected things to take such a dramatic turn for the worse!

Zhao Heng not only logically exposed the suspicious points of the so-called bloodshed, but also ended up in such a tragic way, completely winning his father's... pity.

This is no longer just witty debate; it's about winning hearts and minds.

What did that bastard Wei Jia teach this kid?!

Before Zhao Yan could recover from the immense shock and growing panic, King Zhao suddenly opened his eyes.

He stopped looking at Zhao Heng.

His sharp old eyes suddenly turned to Zhao Yan, who was inexplicably stiff and almost unable to think.

King Zhao's chest heaved violently, clearly enraged, and he suddenly roared.

"Zhao Yan, get over here!!!"

The shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, carrying long-suppressed anger and disappointment. It exploded in the empty hall, making the beams and pillars seem to hum and the candlelight flicker violently, the light and shadow trembling wildly.

Zhao Yan was so frightened by this loud shout that he was scared out of his wits.

His legs went weak, and he fell off the mat, almost tumbling and crawling down the steps, where he banged his head on the ground.

"Father...Father, your son is here...your son is here..."